The phone call is reported to have taken place on 9 October, a week after Khashoggi disappeared.

Prince Mohammed also reportedly urged the White House to preserve the US-Saudi alliance.

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Media captionWhy do Trump's Saudi job numbers keep growing?

In a statement to the newspaper, Khashoggi's family denied he had been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and said the murdered writer had himself denied this repeatedly in recent years.

What do other countries say?

Saudi Arabia has faced a backlash over the death, including from its allies, who have called for answers.

US President Donald Trump has said he is "not satisfied" with the Saudi account. However, he also said he was unwilling to sacrifice lucrative arms deals with the country.

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Media captionHow has the death of Jamal Khashoggi impacted the war in Yemen?

France has said it will impose sanctions, but given no details.

Also in a meeting in Paris on Saturday, Mr Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron said the Saudi authorities should shed full light on the murder, Reuters quoted French presidential sources as saying.

The two leaders also warned against further destabilisation of the Middle East as a result of the affair and expressed the hope that it could create an opportunity for a resolution to the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels.